Photos: Spider-Man Lizard Becomes New Pet Craze

The Mwanza flat-headed rock agama lizard looks startlingly similar to the popular comic book character Spider-Man and has become the latest fashionable pet. The vivid red-and-blue coloring is similar to that of the Marvel superhero, and comic book fans have been flocking to exotic pet shops to snap them up.

Agamas like the Spider-Lizard, as it has become known, make good pets since they become tame and docile if handled regularly. However, they require special equipment in the UK to maintain their temperature.

It can grow up to a foot long, and the squeamish may find it a problem to feed – a balanced diet for an agama includes locusts, crickets, mealworms and waxworms.

Native to Kenya, the rock agama (Agama mwanzae) is unable to throw webs, but can change color – the brightly colored males will change brown at night or if frightened. They can also run on their hind legs, and – like Spidey – can scale vertical walls.